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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. mug — a face
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. track — to keep track
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mug — to rob
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — a measure
  11. track — a path
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — in a race
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stem — to come from
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com